Western Wall Webcam – Watch Jerusalem’s Kotel Plaza

The Western Wall Webcam covers the open prayer plaza at the foot of the Kotel, inside Jerusalem’s Old City, from four switchable positions run by the Western Wall Heritage Foundation and the Mt. of Olives Prayer Bridge channel. One frames the wall itself; another looks south at the Temple archaeological park beside Robinson’s Arch. The stone in view stands about 19 meters (62 feet) above the flagstones and runs 57 meters (187 feet) along the prayer section. What happens in front of it changes by the hour, from near-empty pavement before dawn to a plaza filled end to end as Shabbat comes in.

About the Western Wall

The wall is the western retaining side of the platform Herod the Great built to enlarge the Second Temple compound, begun around 19 BCE. It is not the temple: that stood on top of it, Roman forces destroyed it in 70 CE, and the supporting walls were what survived. The full structure runs 488 meters (1,601 feet), but later buildings hide all except the 57 meters (187 feet) facing the plaza. Of its 45 courses of stone, 28 sit above ground and 17 stay buried, putting the full height at roughly 32 meters (105 feet).

The lowest seven above-ground courses are Herodian, cut with the recessed margins that set them apart from the smaller blocks added later. The largest is not visible from the plaza at all: the Western Stone sits inside the Western Wall Tunnel and measures 13.6 meters (44.6 feet) long by 3 meters (9.8 feet) high, one of the heaviest blocks ever moved without powered machinery. The plaza itself is modern: until June 1967 the Mughrabi Quarter stood here and the space at the wall was a narrow alley; 135 houses were cleared after the Six-Day War, leaving the 10,000 square meter (108,000 square foot) forecourt on screen.

A low stone wall separates the open plaza from the prayer area, which a mechitza divides again into men’s and women’s sections. Written notes go into the gaps between the blocks all day. They are collected twice a year, before Passover and before the High Holidays, then buried on the Mount of Olives rather than thrown away.

Weather and Climate in Jerusalem

Jerusalem sits at 754 meters (2,474 feet) above sea level, high enough to run several degrees cooler than Tel Aviv, 60 kilometers (37 miles) west on the coast. In this hot-summer Mediterranean climate, July and August average highs of 30 C (86 F) with overnight lows near 20 C (68 F), and neither records any rain in the 1991 to 2020 normals. October turns the season, cooling to 26 C (79 F) by day and bringing the first rain, around 10 millimeters (0.4 inches).

Winter is the wet half of the year. January is the coldest and wettest month, averaging 12.7 C (55 F) by day and 6.7 C (44 F) at night, with 136.8 millimeters (5.4 inches) of rain across about nine days. Snow flurries reach the city once or twice in most winters and a real accumulation every three or four years, the heaviest recent fall being 30 centimeters (12 inches) on 13 December 2013. Spring is brief: April runs to 22 C (72 F) with lows of 12.5 C (54 F), and the dry season has set in by May, closing an annual total of roughly 537 millimeters (21 inches).

Things to Do Near the Western Wall

The Western Wall Tunnel begins at the north end of the plaza and follows the buried courses for 488 meters (1,601 feet), exposing around 300 meters (984 feet) of stonework, the Western Stone included. The route passes Warren’s Gate, a sealed ancient entrance to the Temple Mount roughly 46 meters (151 feet) in, then the Hasmonean water channel, surfacing near the Via Dolorosa. Immediately south, the Jerusalem Archaeological Park and Davidson Center cover the Herodian street and Robinson’s Arch, which is what one of the Western Wall Webcam positions is pointed at.

The rest of the Old City is a short walk. The Jewish Quarter above the plaza holds the excavated Cardo, the Roman and Byzantine main street, and the rebuilt Hurva Synagogue. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Via Dolorosa sit in the Christian Quarter to the northwest. Dung Gate is the closest of the Old City gates, five minutes on foot from the security checkpoint. Outside the walls, the City of David runs down the slope to the south and the Mount of Olives faces the site across the Kidron Valley.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

Other cameras on nearby holy sites and the Israeli coast:

• Nativity Church Webcam
• Yardenit Webcam
• Gordon Beach Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Western Wall located?

In the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City, in Israel, on the western side of the Temple Mount platform, 754 meters (2,474 feet) above sea level and about 60 kilometers (37 miles) east of Tel Aviv. Dung Gate is the nearest way in through the Old City walls.

What can you see on the Western Wall Webcam?

The prayer plaza and the exposed 57 meter (187 foot) stretch of wall, with the men’s and women’s sections split by a mechitza. One position covers the Temple archaeological park and Robinson’s Arch to the south instead. The site is open around the clock and free to enter.

How many cameras does the Western Wall Webcam have?

Four, switchable from the Cam 1 to Cam 4 tabs on this page. Two come from the Western Wall Heritage Foundation and two from the Mt. of Olives Prayer Bridge channel, which runs one feed on the wall and one on the Temple archaeological park.

What is the weather like in Jerusalem?

Hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. July and August average 30 C (86 F) by day with no measurable rain, and January 12.7 C (55 F) by day and 6.7 C (44 F) at night. Light snow falls once or twice in most winters.

Why is the Western Wall called the Wailing Wall?

The name refers to mourning for the Second Temple, destroyed by Roman forces in 70 CE. In Hebrew the site is HaKotel HaMa’aravi, “the western wall”, usually shortened to the Kotel.

What happens to the notes left in the Western Wall?

The Western Wall Heritage Foundation clears them twice a year, before Passover and before the High Holidays. Because the notes are prayers and often carry the name of God, they are buried on the Mount of Olives rather than discarded.

Can you take photos at the Western Wall?

On ordinary weekdays, yes. Photography is prohibited on Shabbat and Jewish holidays, phone cameras included, and the plaza is monitored. Men need a head covering; free kippot are handed out at the entrance.

When is the Western Wall busiest?

Friday evening as Shabbat begins, and the pilgrimage festivals. Birkat Kohanim, the priestly blessing at Passover and Sukkot, has drawn crowds of 20,000 to 50,000 at once, and around 2.5 million people visit across the Hebrew month of Tishrei. Monday and Thursday mornings bring bar mitzvah ceremonies, the days the Torah is read.

Source: The Western Wall Heritage Foundation and Mt. of Olives Prayer Bridge